Memories
by Copperpelt
Summary: These dreams were Kaiba's secret. He told no one of them, or how they left him exhausted each morning. But the dreams are starting to become a lot more than just a nightly occurrence. Now, they have bled over into his reality. How will he deal with these dreams, especially when they seem to gain clarity with each night? And just what ties does he share with this blue-haired woman?
1. Restless

_~O~_

Silky locks of hair that gleamed like the light of the moon caressed the CEO's face. His lips curved into a smile, something that the world seldom saw him do, and he took in the scent of her hair. The aroma was unique, like nothing he had encountered before, and yet, its familiarity brought him great joy. When he tried to place what the scent reminded him of, he could only think of one thing; sand.

_Sand? _he thought to himself. Why would the smell of sand evoke these emotions within him? He began to wonder if seeing this mystery woman's face would explain the questions that plagued him, but when he brushed away her hair, he could not see her face. A haze shielded her features from him, denying him any answers. Kaiba, taken aback, drew away and tried to make sense of what was happening. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice booming with the same authority he used to command his employees. But the woman seemed unbothered by his order.

She tilted her head to the side, her silver-hair falling in cascades from her shoulders. "Tell me!" Kaiba demanded. Then, through the haze that hid her face from his sight, a brilliant blue light erupted from behind her and consumed them both. That was when Kaiba finally woke from the grip of his dream. He sat upright in his bed, breathing heavily from the shock of the dream. Sweat ran down the nape of his neck, plastering his brown hair to his skin. Kaiba ran his hands through his hair and swore under his breath. "That damn dream again," he muttered.

He swung his legs out from the bed and planted his feet onto the cold wooden floor below. He then pushed himself from the bed and walked through the dark to his bathroom, where he ran cool water from the faucet and washed the sweat from his face and neck. Once he had dried off, he glanced up at his reflection in the mirror. Dark circles, formed from lack of sleep and stress, surrounded his eyes. Others at the office had begun to notice the physical manifestations of his stress, but that's all they alluded them to; stress.

Nobody else knew of the strange dreams he had been having as of late, and he intended to keep it that way. After all, what would his employees think of him if they knew that the CEO of KaibaCorp was kept awake in the middle of the night with dreams of some silver-haired woman? Last thing Kaiba needed was rumors and speculation going around. Frustrated, he tossed the damp towel on the floor of the bathroom, knowing that the cleaning personnel would get it in the morning. He then returned to his bed and laid down in exhausted. _All I ask for is a single night without that damn dream. _

Kaiba pressed the heels of his hands into his sleep-ridden eyes and growled. The dreams had started a little over a month ago, shortly after being exposed to the hieroglyphic carvings at the museum. He hadn't said anything to Ishizu at the time, but something had flipped a switch within him upon seeing those carvings. The dreams had started that night, and every one of them seemed to involve that mystery woman.

At first, he hadn't been able to make heads or tails of the dreams; he only knew that the person was a woman. But as the dreams continued, more details came into focus. He had been able to tell her height and body build. Shortly after that, he was able to see that her skin was oddly pale. Now, he was able to see, feel, and smell her hair, but her face was still shrouded deep in mystery. Kaiba wanted to see her face in hopes that it would put an end to the dreams and stop his restless nights. There was also the natural curiosity that had built up within him; he had been seeing only glimpses of this woman for a while now, so he felt entitled to at least know what her face looked like.

However, Kaiba couldn't shake the nagging feeling that there was so much more to these dreams. It was a hard reality for him to face, seeing as he wasn't one to fall for superstitions, but he just knew there had to be a reason behind all of this. Kaiba removed his hands from his eyes and glanced over at the alarm clock beside his bed. It read 5:15 in the morning. He signed, knowing there was no point in trying to go back to sleep, for his alarm would only go off within the hour. So, he climbed back out of his bed and proceeded to gather his chosen attire for the day.

Once he was finished getting dressed, he quietly left his room and made his way down the halls until he reached the kitchen. The place that he and Mokuba called home was definitely larger than what the two of them needed in order to live, but as the head of a major company, Kaiba had to make sure to live up to the expectations placed before somebody of his status. Honestly, he probably would have been just as content in an average-sized home, as would Mokuba. The only difference is that it would feel less empty at times. That was the only qualm Kaiba had about their mansion; it was too damn empty and quiet in the morning.

As the day progressed and staff came and went, it felt a bit livelier, but he seldom got to experience that kind of atmosphere because he was always gone so early. By the time he would return home, most of the staff was gone, leaving just him and Mokuba. While in the kitchen, Kaiba lurked around for something quick to eat, which was another rarity for him. Since he was always so rushed in the mornings, he seldom had time to grab something to eat before leaving out. Usually his first meal of the day was around lunchtime. So, being that he had gotten ready early, he decided to delve in the rare ritual of enjoying breakfast. After a bit of searching, he opted for a piece of fruit; just because he had a little time didn't mean he had enough time for a whole meal.

So, with breakfast in hand, Kaiba made his way to the front door, picking up his briefcase as he passed by. But as he reached for the doorknob, he stopped when he heard his name being called. "Leaving early again, Seto?" Mokuba's tired voice asked. Kaiba glanced over his shoulder at his little brother and smiled. "Yeah, I decided to get another early start. Get more work done that way, you know? Now, go back to bed and get some more sleep." Mokuba rubbed the sleep from his eyes and said with a yawn, "Alright, see you later." He then vanished back down the hallway, leaving Kaiba to swear under his breath.

He hadn't told Mokuba about to dreams that had been plaguing him for the past month, or how the dreams had been stealing away sleep from him, either. Kaiba just didn't feel like that was something that he needed to trouble his little brother with; the kid already worried about the CEO enough as it was. With a sigh, Kaiba continued on his way to work, knowing that, despite getting an early start, he would get little done as long as that dream lingered in the back of his mind.

_~O~_

The CEO laid his briefcase on his office desk and sat down his chair; he was amazed how comfortable that chair could be when he was exhausted. Kaiba glanced at the surface of his desk and narrowed his eyes at the stack of paperwork waiting to be done. "It can wait till later," he muttered and pushed it to the side. Whatever the paperwork was for wasn't urgent. If it had been, then one of the secretaries would have placed a note on the stack, or they would have sent it to someone else in the building who could do it in a timely manner. With the papers out of the way, Kaiba picked up the receiver of his phone and waited for his secretary to answer. "Yes, Sir?" she asked.

Kaiba cleared his throat and said, "Send me an email with a list of everything that needs to be attended to today." He could hear her typing away at the keys of her computer. "Right away, Sir," she replied. Kaiba thanked her and placed the phone back on the receiver. Not a moment later, his computer chimed with a notification for a new email; his secretaries were most definitely efficient in their line of work. The CEO opened the unread file and scanned over the list. It was a short list compared to what he normally dealt with, but it definitely wasn't a list that would be finished quickly.

Most of the contents of it pertained to the upcoming tournament he planned to hold in the city. It was the basic stuff; permits, permission, event planning, approval of schedules, formulating rules, and so on. From personal experience, he knew that getting the permits and settling on a solid schedule would be the most time-consuming tasks on the list, only because the city was fickle in handing out permits; if they didn't feel it to be of major importance, they usually put it on the back-burner. But this was Seto Kaiba, CEO of KaibaCorp, who had brought in more revenue to the city in the past two years than any other corporation currently running.

If they city pushed him aside, then they would most definitely hear from him. As for the schedule, it would only be a pain because the idea of the tournament was still in its infancy. He still had many details to sort through and things to tweak. Kaiba could already feel his head starting to hurt from the impending stress. He reached down to the drawer of his desk for his bottle of Tylenol, but as he bent over, blinding pain shot through his skull. Cursing aloud as he clutched the sides of his head, Kaiba struggled to get to his feet. But as he stood up, the pain only intensified.

He grabbed onto the corner of his desk to catch himself, but his legs, suddenly weak, buckled beneath his weight. He sat there, knelt beside his desk, and clenched his teeth as the pain assaulted him. His eyes were shut tight, but flashes of light radiated behind the blackness of his eyelids. Something strange was happening, though. With each flash he saw something more than just light; he saw the silhouette of something. The brightness made it difficult to make anything out of what he was seeing, but he was able to tell that what he was seeing was most definitely two people, one a man, the other a woman.

The man stood above the woman, who laid motionless on the ground. That was all Kaiba could distinguish before the pain suddenly released its grip on him, leaving him disoriented and nauseous. Feeling sick, he reached for the nearest wastebasket and brought it close to him in case his stomach decided to rid itself of its contents. He never did throw up, but the sudden pain still left him disoriented, even to the point that, when one of the assistants entered the office, he didn't even notice them; he was too out of it and taken aback by what he saw. Were the dreams starting to bleed into his reality, too?

The assistant, a young, unpaid lad, knelt down beside the CEO and asked frantically, "Mr. Kaiba, are you alright? Should I call for somebody?" Kaiba, head still throbbing from the sudden episode, slapped away the young assistant and snapped, "I would be a lot better if you stepped away from me." The assistant, obviously afraid of his job being terminated, stepped away from the CEO and held his hands up defensively. Kaiba then tried to get back to his feet, only to have the room spin around him. He held onto the desk and swore. "Sir, maybe you should go to the hospital. You don't look well," the assistant suggested, his voice trembling with nervousness.

Kaiba shot the intern a glance and said, "There's no need for all of that. I'm simply overworked…Tell the secretaries I'm taking the day off to catch up on some rest. I'll finish up my work early tomorrow morning. Also get them to send my driver over." The assistant nodded and hurried out of the office. Now alone, Kaiba propped his weakened body against his desk and growled in frustration; he wasn't one to admit defeat so easily, so this was degrading to him. Not only that, but a lowly assistant had found him in such a vulnerable state.

The CEO had an image to uphold, and being found hunched over a wastebasket by an intern and too weak to stand seriously made his image look bad. He stood there against his desk for several minutes before one of the secretaries paged him to inform him that his driver had arrived. Kaiba, ever-so grateful to get out of that office, grabbed his briefcase and hurried to the elevator, making sure not to push himself too hard, just on the off-chance that he had another episode like the one he had shortly before.

Thankfully, the pain didn't return, and he climbed into the backseat of the limo that waited for him outside of KaibaCorp. "Where to, Sir?" the driver asked. Kaiba leaned his head against the window, closed his eyes, and said with his usual authority, "Take me back home. Now." The driver simply nodded, and soon, the car began to accelerate.

* * *

_Story title based off the song Memories by Panic! At The Disco. _So, I'm not really new to fanfiction, but I am new to writing in this fandom, and I have grown rather bored of writing in the fandom that I have called home for so many years, so I hope to make a bit of a name for myself in others. As it is kind of obvious in this chapter, I am a Blueshipper. I have watched the first two seasons of Yu-Gi-Oh and have a general knowledge of the remaining seasons, even though I have yet to watch them (I stopped watching shortly after season two). But I do know a bit of Seto's past with Kisara and their whole story, so I'm going to try and allude to it as much as I can (my apologies if some of my references/facts in the story are off, but it has been YEARS since I last watched any of the show). But I do hope that this first chapter is up to this fandom's standards, so please do read, review, and other things! ~Copperpelt~


	2. Connections

_~O~_

The CEO closed the door behind him, perhaps with a bit too much force, for an echo reverberated throughout the hollow mansion. He swore under his breath, knowing that his entrance would end up drawing more unwanted attention to him; if he hurried, then he might be able to get to his room without being bothered by any of the on-duty staff. Despite being so tired and shaken up, Kaiba picked up his pace as he retreated to his room, but he hadn't been quite fast enough, for just as he was about to open the door to his bedroom, he heard Mokuba's voice.

"Seto, what are you doing back early?" the younger brother asked. Kaiba silently cursed himself; of all people to confront, Mokuba was the last on his list. After all, his little brother would only worry himself if he knew that the CEO hadn't been well. So, in order to keep Mokuba from growing too concerned, Kaiba turned around to face his little brother and told him, "The computers were having issues at the office when I got there this morning. Tech support said they should be fixed later this evening, but that wouldn't have left me much time to get anything done, so I opted to take the rest of the day off." Kaiba hated lying to Mokuba, but he hated making his little brother worry even more. Mokuba gave Kaiba a rather skeptical-look, and for a moment, the CEO thought his lie had been seen through.

But when his little brother smiled, all worry vanished from Kaiba. "Then we should totally do something today, Seto. You've rarely had any days off since starting that tournament. It'll be good for you to get out and do something other than work," the younger Kaiba brother said cheerfully. And at that moment, the CEO felt stricken with guilt. He knew he had been neglecting to spend time with his younger brother because of all of the work related to starting the tournament, so any days off were a rarity for Kaiba now. But as much as he would have liked to spend the day with Mokuba, Kaiba just wasn't up for it. The restless nights were taking more of a toll on him, and with the incident at the office, he knew he was reaching the end of his limits with the sleep deprivation.

"I'd love to, Mokuba," Kaiba said with a sigh, "but work has really been hectic lately, and I could really use this chance to catch up on some sleep before I have to start pulling all-nighters for this tournament. You understand, right?" It wasn't a complete lie; he simply omitted certain pieces of information. The thought of Kaiba being tired from work wasn't unbelievable, and it was true that once the tournament started to get further along, he would be in the office for several days straight as he worked through all of the formalities of creating this event.

But all of that still did little to ease the stab of guilt caused by Mokuba's disappointed expression. He then smiled and said, "Of course, Seto. You do what you have to." With that being said, Kaiba hated himself even more. Lying to his little brother, leaving him out of important things in his life, and now neglecting him even further. What other lowly things would Kaiba have to end up doing that day? "Work will eventually die back down, and when that happens and when I can afford to take a day off without falling too far behind, then we can go and do something. I promise," he said to the younger brother. Mokuba nodded with a smile.

"Sounds good to me, Seto. I guess I'll let you go on and get some rest then." Mokuba then turned around and walked down the hallway, eventually vanishing behind a corner. Kaiba let out an exasperated sigh and leaned his back against the wall. _That was awful, _he thought to himself. He had seen through Mokuba's smile and heard through his words, and it was clear that Kaiba's little brother was extremely hurt. _But after what happened back in the office, I can't chance putting myself through too much, or else it could happen again. _And he knew if he had another episode like the one earlier while he was around Mokuba, then his little brother would worry himself sick. _He's too young to have to deal with that kind of stress._

Kaiba sighed once more, then headed into his room, making sure to close and lock the door behind him so he would not be disturbed. Immediately, the CEO loosened and removed the tie around his neck and tossed it on the back of a chair. He glanced over at his bed, with its freshly cleaned sheets and smooth edges. If the circumstances had been different, then his bed would have looked very inviting, especially given with how tired he was. But as of late, his bed had become a foreign land, a battleground that he fought in with his dreams. He almost dreaded the idea of climbing beneath the sheets and laying down.

Kaiba shook his head. _Maybe that dream won't bother me now….Maybe I'm so tired that it won't happen, or I'll sleep through it this time. _Kaiba couldn't help but feel like he was lying to himself. When had the dreams _not _plagued him? When had they _not _woken him in the middle of his sleep? Kaiba growled in frustration and ran his hands through his hair. His eyes then drifted over to the door to his bathroom, and the idea of a hot shower sounded very appealing to him all of a sudden. Perhaps that would help to ease him enough for him to get some sleep. At this point, Kaiba was up for trying anything if it meant getting more than a few hours of sleep. So, he stepped into his bathroom, locking the door behind him, and turned the shower on. Within a matter of minutes, steam filled the room, fogging the mirrors that lined the wall.

Once the water temperature was to his liking, Kaiba stepped beneath the showerhead and let the scorching hot water hit his face. He could practically feel the water washing away his stress, but it was bittersweet for Kaiba because he knew that this reprieve would be short-lived. _I'm going to enjoy it while I can, though. _Kaiba ended up standing beneath the steaming hot water for nearly an hour before he even bothered with washing his hair and body.

This was one of the few luxuries he knew he could never live without; endless hot water. He liked being able to take his time and enjoy the way the water burned off the stress of the day. Hopefully it would do the same for that God-forsaken dream that kept plaguing him each time he shut his eyes to sleep. Once the CEO was finished washing off, he reluctantly turned off the water and wrapped himself in a towel he had set aside as he stepped out. The bathroom mirror was completely fogged up with steam, hiding his reflection, which Kaiba was somewhat grateful for; he knew he looked rough, so the last thing he wanted was to be reminded of it.

Seto quickly dried off and changed into a fresh set of clothes, which consisted of a pair of jeans and a plain shirt, the usual attire he wore whenever he was within the confines of his own home. After all, the prying eyes of the media couldn't see him through the walls of the mansion, so he had no reason to keep up with his usual appearance like he had to at work or whenever he decided to go out. At his own home, he could dress as comfortably as he liked. However, it was a rare thing for him because he seldom ever spent much time at home, except before he left to go to work, and when he got back. But that perhaps only amounted to a few hours.

In the mornings, he barely had enough time to grab breakfast, and whenever he returned from work, he usually had just enough energy to reheat dinner, only to finish any work he brought back with him. Once that was done, he usually retired to his bed after midnight. So, without the dreams plaguing him every night, Kaiba had already been losing sleep, but he had been getting more than he was currently since the dreams started. The CEO then let out a yawn as he body let him know just how fatigued he was, and he came to the conclusion that, regardless of his worry of having that dream again, he didn't have it in him to stay awake much longer.

So, he left the bathroom and stepped back into his own room, where he stared at his neatly-made bed, hesitant of climbing in. He knew the moment he laid down and shut his eyes, he would instantly fall asleep, and the chances of him having that dream again were exceptionally high. _But I need rest….Maybe I'm tired enough to sleep through it this time…._With his options limited, Kaiba gave in and approached his bed. The pillow and comforter beckoned for him, promising rest, but he knew better. Deep down, Seto knew that whatever sleep he did manage to get, it wouldn't nearly be enough for him to recover from the month of rest he had lost.

No, that would take time, a lot more time than just a few hours or a single night. Possibly weeks, maybe even longer. But in the meantime, Kaiba would gladly take whatever rest he could salvage out of this. Instead of simply climbing beneath the blankets and laying down, he fell against the bed with a thud and felt his muscles relax. Seto let out a sigh of relief and already felt himself drifting off. He didn't bother to grab a pillow, or to even wrap up in the blankets to keep from getting cold. Seto was simply just too tired to care. So, he ended up falling asleep right there across his bed.

_~O~_

It didn't take Kaiba very long to realize he had fallen victim to his dream again. It started like it usually did, with him floating in a vast expanse of nothingness. Then, a light began to radiate in the distance. This light, which shone with a brilliant blue hue, always seemed to beckon to him. It called to him without uttering his name, but he could hear the voice in his thoughts. _"This way," _it begged. And as per usual, Kaiba gave into the voice's request, even though every time he reached the owner of the voice, he never saw her face. And just like all the times before, he wondered if this time would be different.

After all, as the dreams continued, he had seen more and more of this mystery woman. She had gone from a shrouded figure to a more physical entity. However, she was still an enigma to the CEO. Kaiba was now nearing the glowing light, and the closer he got, the more the strange sense of familiarity grew within him. _I'm certain I've met her somewhere, but the question is where and when….If only I could see her face, then maybe I would know…._Kaiba now stood before the glowing orb of pale blue light, and like in his previous dreams, he reached out and touched the light.

A calming warmth traveled up his through his arm and warmed his body. The light then engulfed him, transforming the surrounding darkness into a world of blinding light, one that Kaiba always had to shield his eyes from. But once they adjusted, he found the mysterious woman standing before him, her back facing him. Seto took in the sight of her and the odd paleness of her skin, and the way her white hair fell into cascades past her shoulders. The woman then turned slightly, revealing the profile of her face, but between her hair and the blinding light that surrounded them, Kaiba still couldn't make out any of her facial features.

However, the only thing he could make out for the first time, were her eyes. They glowed with a brilliant blue, a shade that struck him down with familiarity. _They're….They're the same color as my Blue-Eyes…._he realized. "Tell me who you are!" Kaiba shouted, "What business do you have with me!? Why have you been haunting my dreams?! Tell me!" But the woman didn't answer. Instead, she turned her back to him, and the blinding light that surrounded them engulfed her. Kaiba shielded his eyes from the assault of the brightness.

The CEO then heard something that made his blood run cold; it was the roar of the Blue-Eyes. With his eyes nearly squint shut, Kaiba looked up and found that the woman was gone, and in her place, stood the blinding silhouette of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, its eyes glowing with the same sapphire hue as the woman's. The dragon then threw its head back and let out another roar, then vanished in a burst of light. Kaiba cried out as the explosion of brightness consumed him, and next thing he knew, he found himself on the floor of his room, trembling and covered in sweat.

The CEO looked around frantically as he struggled to process where he was at, but once he did, he managed to calm himself enough to cease his shaking, but he hadn't quite managed to calm his racing heart. Seto sat up and leaned against his bed as he continued to take in slow, deep breaths. "What does Blue-Eyes have to do with any of this?..." he quietly asked himself. His eyes then scanned over to the nightstand beside his bed and focused in on the deck of cards that rested on top of the small table.

Kaiba reached out and took the deck in his still-trembling hands and began to thumb through it until he found one of his Blue-Eyes cards. He sat there on the floor and held the card in his hands, taking in every fine detail of the monster that had won him so many duels. But there was one thing on the dragon that he kept coming back to, and that was the shiny blue eye, the one that had the same hue as the mystery woman's. Seto closed his eyes and brought the card to his forehead, then quietly asked himself, "What's happening?..."

* * *

It's been a little while since I have gotten a chance to write anymore on this story. I actually had about half of this chapter written but just recently had the time and inspiration to finish it up. I also have a better idea of the direction of this story to go in and all that good stuff, so maybe I'll keep having some more ideas for future chapters. Anywho, thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! It definitely is scary to write in a new fandom, so being received so well by everyone and getting to read your kind reviews definitely made this transition a lot less daunting. I hope you all liked this chapter, and please continue to read and review! ~Copperpelt~


End file.
